Get the popcorn ready early because everyone expects the Eagles to bury the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome (1 p.m., Channel 29, WIP 94.1-FM).

The Eagles (8-5) swagger in with a five-game winning streak, the longest in the league. They’re 5-1 on the road including 5-0 at sea level as the loss came in the Mile High City.

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For the injury cursed Vikings (3-9-1), it’s all over but the math. They’ve been done for weeks.

The Eagles control the division. They have a one-game lead in the NFC East over the Dallas Cowboys (7-6), having clawed with their fingernails to get there. If they win out, they’re the third seed.

An Eagles win and a Cowboys loss this week and Jerry Jones has to dial 911. And Eagles loss and a Cowboys win and, well, maybe the Eagles aren’t cut out to be the hunted after all. This is a franchise that started 1-3 this year and hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2010 campaign.

“The biggest thing we’ve stressed each week is whatever game, whatever opponent we have, let’s just be 1-0 that week,” Eagles running back LeSean McCoy said. “We’re not looking down the road at the Cowboys game or our record. We just want to keep winning and control our own destiny.”

The Vikings aren’t nearly as bad as their record, having gone 2-2-1 in their last five starts. But their best player, defending NFL rushing champion Adrian Peterson, is coming off a foot injury that almost certainly will limit his effectiveness even if he does play.

Peterson’s backup, Toby Gerhart is hurt, the secondary is decimated with injuries and the fans aren’t feeling great. This could be one of those Eagles road/home games.

The Eagles are such a lock even the dreaded Sports Illustrated cover jinx might not be a factor. Quarterback Nick Foles, the latest Eagle to appear on the cover, spent a chunk of the week downplaying the hype.

“I know there is a lot of buzz and I know the fans are really happy but I also know that we have to continue to pay attention to the little minor details,” Foles said. “Because us thinking that way, jumping ahead and thinking way ahead can only hurt us. I know the fans are excited and we want them to be excited. But we have to take care of business.”

Cornerback Cary Williams bristled when it was suggested the Eagles might overlook the troubled Vikings.

“As far as I’m concerned it’s not a trap game,” Williams said. “I think they have great receivers, they have a legitimate quarterback, they have a legitimate running game and they pose a threat.”

Legitimate or not, journeyman Matt Cassel is the Vikings quarterback. He’s been around the block and then some. The receivers are Greg Jennings and rookie Cordarelle Patterson, who with a 4.36 burst in the 40-yard dash has the two longest plays of the NFL season. They’re kickoff returns of 109 and 105 yards.

The Vikings ground game won’t be the same without AP or Gerhart (hamstring), also questionable for the game.

The Eagles’ defense has held nine straight opponents to 21 points or less, the longest such streak in the league.

Foles has a small army of weapons starting with league rushing leader McCoy and continuing with receivers Riley Cooper (6-3) and

DeSean Jackson (5-9), the long and the short of it.

The Eagles have tight ends Brent Celek and Zach Ertz. The Vikings are without starter John Carlson, one of their top players.

For the Eagles much of it’s been by design as well as a process of evolution. It was Celek who said Chip Kelly’s style would revolutionize football. The Eagles have won seven of their last nine games.

“We’ve come a ways but we’ve still got a long way to go and I don’t want to give us much credit right now because we haven’t accomplished anything,” Celek said. “We’ve still got a lot to do. We’ve got to focus on Minnesota this week. That’s the most important thing. So I really don’t want to talk about that stuff. We can talk about that when the season is over. We’ve got a lot of work to do right now.”

The Eagles finished with a fury last week, in the snow. After being outscored 33-0 in four straight fourth quarters they buried the Detroit Lions, 28-6, in the final frame.

The Vikings, on the other hand, lost at the buzzer on the road in a snowstorm at Baltimore. It’s been that kind of season for the squad that one year after reaching the postseason is almost certainly is looking at a makeover. The difference between the years is obvious to veteran defensive end Jared Allen, tied for the team lead with 7 sacks.

“Losing games on the last play of the game,” Allen said. “I think if we could have won just the games we lost on the last play I believe we’re sitting there fighting for the division lead if not in first. I know it’s a lot of what ifs but it comes down to be being consistent. And we haven’t played consistent enough this year as far as just overall team-wise and from a defensive standpoint.”

The Vikings won the NFC North title last year. It’s different, they’ve discovered protecting the view from the top.